Hawkin's Mechanical Dictionary

First published in 1909. Ordinary dictionaries are of little help when reading anything involving tooling or devices used in earlier times. If you run across a noun like twitter bit (the tip of a countersink that accommodates the screw head), the chances of finding a definition are about the same as they might be if you were looking for conformator, pin tongs, camp sheeting or jack in a box, all of which have specialized meanings in manufacturing or construction. We no longer produce dictionaries that are organized by the alphabetical order of adjectives preceding the noun, but it is necessary in a dictionary of this type, which focuses on the crafts and trades of an earlier age. It is invaluable for anyone who reads historical material in this field.